Entitled customer talks herself out of waived late fees when she refuses to listen to customer service representative: 'Okay you want me to follow company policy? I got you!'

Customer service interactions present a delicate social situation, no matter how familiar you think you are with a customer there's always that unequal footing that exists between client and service provider.

And that's even when dealing with the most reasonable, level-headed people. It takes surprisingly little for a lot of normal-seeming people to fly off the handle. Even customers who you know well can be unpredictable, one minute you're engaging in your usual riffing banter and the next second they've gone full Hulk mode on you and are threatening to ram the card reader down your throat.

Sure, there's a lot to get frustrated about these days with automated customer service lines that turn you in circles, asking for answers to voice prompts that the system never seems to fully understand. Couple that with the intentional misdirection and bewilderingly anti-consumer policies that a lot of big companies have adopted, and you've got a maddening situation.

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Author image for Brad Dickson Brad Dickson
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  • Still, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar and it pays to be kind to others—especially those working what can often be a miserable job. Besides it's not like it's the person on the other end of the phone's fault in the first place, and they're more likely to help you if you're nice about it.

    This customer service agent tried to go off book to help this raging customer with their problem, just to make them go away, but their obstinance drove the situation to a classic level of customer service malicious compliance. 

  • 01

    "Okay you want me to follow company policy? I got you!"

    I finally have my own malicious compliance story! I am a sales manager at a sales company with payment options for those who can't afford items at retail cash price at one setting. We have payment arrangements where if the card runs automatically we can arrange smaller but more frequent payments in an effort to be more flexible but since it's a automated computer system. we can not make changes to it once it starts running due to it running the card 3x at different times of the day.
    via SM_anya
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  • 02
    Un
    via Julien L

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 03
    If the card declines the first time my accounts team will right away call the customer in case the customer forgot to unlock the card or deposit money. (This is where the customer is angry she's contacted) The customer tells the associate she wants to talk to her manager so she's transferred to the general manager because the accounts manager is off but The GM doesn't even get to walk around the counter before the angry customer (AC) hangs up. So the GM leaves on her lunch.
    via SM_anya
  • 04
    15 minutes later I (the sales. manager) answers the phone where AC is already losing it and by chain of command I have to get it and no longer have another person to transfer her to in store.
    via SM_anya
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  • 05
    Conversation: AC: I'm trying to change my card on my profile but it won't let me! Me: I apologize, let me help you because it does charge you in order to make changes but if I do it then it won't. AC: I had fraud so I had to get a new card! It's stupid it won't let me change it. And that girl who called earlier is trying to over charge me! Me: okay give me your account details
    via SM_anya
  • 06
    AC: **** Me: okay you have a due amount of $85 but I can take your arranged amount plus your late fee making it $79 AC: THATS NOT MY NORMAL PAYMENT MY NORMAL PAYMENT IS $75!! Me: yes ma'am but there's a late fee since your acct was due on the 1st and your arrangement was due today and it didn't go through
    via SM_anya
  • 07
    AC: NO! MY DUE DATE WAS TODAY!!! Me: sorry ma'am but all accounts are due on the 1st or 15th but if you make a arrangement and the computer processes it then it waives all late fees. other wise a manager (me) has to do it since the machine doesn't allow you to waive them when you have to make manual payments. (Referring to associate not being able to take less then $85) AC: continues on the same tangent
    via SM_anya
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  • 08
    Me to coworker: (ac on mute) omg I'm just gonna waive her late fee and take her payment of $75 to shut her up AC: THIS IS STUPID! LET ME TALK TO GM!! Me: ma'am I can just help you (going to just take the $75) and just-interrupted AC: I WANT TO TALK TO GM!!
    via SM_anya
  • 09
    Me: (trying to help her because the GM will get r de and often causes me to lose customers) okay but she's going to tell you the same thing if I help you |- (interrupted again before I can get to waiving fees) AC: JUST HAVE GM CALL ME hangs up me and coworkers start laughing because we know our GM and she will not only take our side but isn't afraid to put her in her place (our GM has a severe case of rbf on good days)
    via SM_anya
  • 10
    15 minutes later AC nearly drives thru our glass windows on how fast she came in and slammed her door Me joking to associate: who you off now? (not knowing it was me AC: I NEED A MANAGER! Me: that's me how can I help you!
    via SM_anya
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  • 11
    AC: I just spoke with the rudest person ever! She had a really bad attitude! And doesn't know how to treat customers (me thinking the associate is gonna need some help learning to talk with customers) Me: okay who did you talk to? AC: Karen! Me confused because we didn't have anyone by that name?: I'm sorry we don't have anyone working here by that name?
    via SM_anya
  • 12
    AC: NO! IM KAREN! KAREN MCKAREN! Me realizing she's the customer I just dealt with AC: WHO DID I SPEAK WITH BECAUSE SHE WAS STUPID AND RODE AND I WANT HER OUT NOW!! Me: that would be me AC: and your the manager?
    via SM_anya
  • 13
    Me: yes, ma'am and like I told you on the phone due dates are on the 1st and 15th your payment arrangement is not a due date it's your arranged date of payment if you honor it there isn't late fees AC: NO MY DUE DATE IS TODAY! DONT GET ANY LATE FEES!!! (Taking out wallet) Me: sorry but the computer just does what it's told and the arrangement was on that card.
    via SM_anya
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  • 14
    AC: FINE BUT IM TALKING TO YOUR BOSS! <Throws four $20s at me for the arranged amount plus late fee> Me: sorry but that's only if your card goes thru as the arrangement called for. Your normal amount is $80 plus late fees so it's $85 (since she's talking to my boss I have to go by the book so I can't take off fees or go with arrangements)
    via SM_anya
  • 15
    AC getting louder: IS THERE A CORPORATE NUMBER I CAN CALL!! YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO DO YOUR JOB NOR HOW TO TREAT A CUSTOMER! IVE BEEN HERE MANY YEARS! AND NEVER!!! HAVE I EVER BEEN TALKED LIKE THIS TOO!!! <throws the rest in $1s at me> Coworker and associate all confused as they witnessed the whole thing including phone call knowing I never raised my voice or was impolite to her.
    via SM_anya
  • 16
    Me: yes ma'am you see that number in the frame above the office that is the number. AC: DONT BE SNOTTY WITH ME! WHATS YOUR NAME! Me over it by this point: here let me write it down for you! (Takes out my tiny adhd notebook and tears out a piece) <writes first and last name with job title and hands it to her> AC: WHICH ONE!! (Referring to the number)
    via SM_anya
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  • 17
    <coworker tired of the bs and her yelling grabs the frame off the wall (he's 6'2) and puts it in her face> Ac then takes a picture of it and continues rant AC: YOU WILL BE HEARING FROM THEM!! Me unbothered: okay thank you
    via SM_anya
  • 18
    AC: YOU SHOULD DRESS BETTER AND TRY SOME MAKE UP YOU LOOK RAGGED AND G ☑O!! LOOK AT THE (girly) ASSOCIATE SHES LOOKS MORE LIKE A MANAGER THAN YOU DO! PROBABLY CAN DO YOUR JOB BETTER!! STUPID A## B*TCH JUST WAIT FOR ME TO CATCH YOU OUTSIDE!! Me in my uniform with my natural hair and great skin answers her: <waving bye> okay thank you
    via SM_anya
  • 19
    Me in my uniform with my natural hair and great skin answers her: okay thank you <waving bye> eeee my coworkers aka the delivery guys and associate were very confused on what just happened and coworker who put the frame in her face said "didn't you say you were gonna waive her fees?" Me: "yeah but she didn't let me get far enough to help her" ee
    via SM_anya
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  • 20
    TLDR: customer made payment arrangement, failed to make payment due to getting a new card and not updating it in the system. Was mad about late fees. I tried to waive everything and take her arranged payment but she escalated the issue to yelling and said she was going to report me to corporate, thus I had to follow corporate policy and take her normal non-arranged payment and charge her the late fees causing her (actual non fake) amount to be more then $10 than if she would have just let me tal
    via SM_anya
  • 21
    Cheezburger Image 10490191360
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+
  • 22
    Illu... Incidents like this are why I hated my first (and only) retail job. You just can't help some people, no matter how hard you try.
    via SM_anya
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  • 23
    Lxcifer-MorninStar So her name's Karen McKaren. Got it. I hope the corporate number was 1800-Who-Cares.
    via SM_anya
  • 24
    bsb_hardik You will go nowhere screaming like this...
    via SM_anya
  • 25
    bus_factor due dates are on the 1st and 15th your payment arrangement is not a due date it's your arranged date of payment if you honor it there isn't late fees to be fair that's a really system, and even worse to try to explain to a customer. it's just setting the front line workers up for failure
    via SM_anya
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  • 26
    31... Situations like this are why I set up auto-pay to a bank account. My paycheck is split between a bills account and an everyday account. If fraud happens on the bills account, the list of possible places it came from is limited to my auto-pay items, and it is easier to switch everything to a new account because everything is in one place. Or if something happens to my everyday account, my bills will still get paid.
    via SM_anya
  • 27
    What I don't get on this story, though, is the late fee. Was it payment due by noon, rather than end of business day?
    via SM_anya
  • 28
    homme_chauve_s... "All that vinegar and I'm barely catching any flies. I know! I'll add some vinegar!"
    via SM_anya
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  • 29
    Jaydamic 22m ago The "catch you outside" comment should be an immediate trespass and the end of the customer's relationship with the business
    via SM_anya
  • 30
    thejerseyguy I don't know why you didn't call the police immediately when she threatened you with bodily harm in front of witnesses.So, why?
    via SM_anya

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customer support customer service workplace discussion workplace-stories jobs employee job malicious compliance retail work customers customer workplace workplace malicious compliance employment in the workplace
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